Let’s face it. Zits happen. Even if you were lucky enough to miss rampant breakouts during your teenage years, acne can still strike – often when you’re getting ready for the all-important job interview or have a special date planned. Worse yet, a full-scale eruption can ruin even the best of days. Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Don’t SqueezeOften your first reaction to finding a new zit is to quickly squeeze it, hoping to get rid of the bump, but that’s the worst thing you can do, says Chanée Martinez, aesthetician and assistant manager at American Laser Center in La Jolla, Calif., who specializes in facial rejuvenation and skin care.

“Squeezing a zit causes the bacteria to disperse within the skin, causing increased redness and possibly more acne breakouts,” Martinez says. She recommends a two-step approach, using home-care remedies and professional advice.

Step 2: Wash Your FaceThere are many home-care products on the market to help get rid of acne, but Martinez recommends using products containing 2% benzoyl peroxide.

Benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria that live deep within the skin and prevents bacteria from clogging your pores – the tiny openings that allow the body’s natural oils to flow to the surface of the skin (moisturizing it in the process). Benzoyl peroxide also helps remove dead skin cells that build up in the pores over time, another culprit in clogged pores.

Gently wash your face with warm water to soften the skin, and pat dry. Place a drop of benzoyl peroxide on your fingertip or a cotton swab, and massage softly into the skin, directly over the affected area. Do this twice a day until the blemish is gone.

To reduce the appearance of a fast-and-furiously-appearing zit, Martinez recommends cold compresses to eliminate inflammation. Do not use ice directly on the skin, because that can actually do more harm by causing skin cells to freeze and die. If you do not have a compress, make your own by wrapping an ice cube in a cotton towel. Apply gently to the zit. Hold it there for 5 minutes to reduce redness and swelling.

Step 3: Seek Professional TreatmentAcne is often caused by an overproduction of the sebaceous glands, which become a breeding ground for bacteria. One way to zap zits before they happen is through a series of FotoFacials, which kills the bacteria and slows sebaceous production. Facial rejuvenation experts use an intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment to reach deep within the layers of the skin. In 30-minute sessions, technicians combine impulse light with laser and radio frequency pulses into one treatment that improves the appearance of the skin with virtually no recovery time. You can visit a treatment center on your lunch hour and be back to work without anyone noticing – except, of course, for the renewed glow of your skin.

FotoFacials also stimulate collagen growth, Martinez says, which helps to smooth fine lines and eliminates bumps and uneven textures to the skin.

After five or six treatments, zits are virtually eliminated and future outbreaks prevented, Martinez says.

For even greater results, a chemical peel to treat the outer layers can be added between the IPL treatments, resulting in a four- to seven-layer treatment of the skin.